Team members of independent media outlet Declassified UK have sent a letter to parliamentary authorities calling out the rejection of its application for a press pass. The motive for parliament’s decision seems to be Declassified‘s work exposing UK complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. And the outlet called this:

a flagrant and partisan attempt to suppress investigative journalism.

‘No room for meaningful scrutiny’

Declassified had reported previously that:

Internal emails reveal that officials cited our “in-depth investigations… from a particular standpoint”, when rejecting our application.

They also flagged a recent investigation we published that raised concerns over pro-Israel bias in Westminster.

First, the authorities claimed that “space and capacity” had driven their decision. But as the Declassified letter asserted:

documents released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal there is no limit to the number of press passes that can be issued – and that capacity was not even discussed as a consideration.

It added that:

Other reasons for rejecting the application were clearly bogus, including a claim that Declassified’s focus on UK foreign policy does not count as “politics”.

“Partisan interference” weakens democracy

The letter, which over 3,000 people have now signed, insisted that:

a diverse and critical media is vital for UK democracy and accountability.

It also called for an urgent review of the decision and the way parliament processes future applications in order to “avoid any partisan interference”.

Without Declassified‘s reporting, there would be even less information in the public domain about the extent of Britain’s involvement in the US-Israeli genocide in Gaza. Because the outlet has consistently reported on the role RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus has played in supporting Israel’s decimation of the occupied Palestinian territory. And it has regularly exposed the shady manoeuvres behind the British state’s draconian crackdown on anti-genocide activists, and the Israel lobby‘s role in particular.

Declassified is exactly the kind of outlet we can trust to hold politicians to account in a meaningful way. So if we want true democratic accountability, we should all get behind them and force the political establishment to let them in.

You can sign Declassified‘s letter here.

Featured image via the Canary

By Ed Sykes

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